Redhook Winterhook | Redhook Ale Brewery

Notes / Commercial Description:
Regardless of whether you spend your winter months on the slopes, shoveling your driveway or just hiding out, Redhook Winterhook is a great way to chase off the winter chill. This year will be our 27th consecutive release of Winterhook. The recipe changes slightly every winter because nobody likes getting the exact same Holiday present year after year. Redhook’s 27th brew of Winterhook has roasted chocolate notes that smooth out the quick, spicy hop finish. The rich body and nutty, malty backbone make this winter ale slighty naughty and very nice.

Reviews by masikon:

This one was offered to me by a friend, I usually don't drink much redhook these days but I gave her a try during a heated table-tennis match. lighter than expected with a minimal head and mildly active carbonation. Taste is of malts, perhaps some toast and a bit of peppery alcohol. Taste is very malty despite the somewhat thin mouthfeel, sort of threw me off a bit. I can see what Redhook is going for here with the roast malt flavor but I can't say I thought it was well done, the mouthfeel is too thin and undercarbonated to support the malt profile....comes off as too grainy for me. Overall try it if it's offered but don't pay for it.

More User Reviews:

4.2/5 rDev +17.3%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

One winter seasonal that I have probably seen the most improvement over the years is Winterhook. Its been around since 1985 in one form or another but seems to be on the stable path for several years now. Bright clarity off of the deep copper color brew, awesome looking lacing as it leaves a web like trail down the glass. Malty aroma of toasted grain and caramel, hint of floral and grassy hops as well. The smoothness is certainly there with a small crispness that drops off quick in the medium body. Spicy, herbal and bit time floral hop flavor don a balanced bitterness that lingers far into the drying finish.

High in drinkability, flavorful and a bit complex yet approachable enough to bring to a holiday party. By far its one of my favorites each year.

Take note of the verbiage from the "Notes / Commercial Description" portion of this entry which reads: "The recipe changes slightly every winter because nobody likes getting the exact same Holiday present year after year." This means that you should be reviewing each and every iteration on an annual basis. As of today (W, 07 Dec 2016), #'s 1 - 31 are retired. This year's is their 32nd batch. I will enter my review for that one and every other one that I can find or live to procure here, but this is a master entry, with every year being unique, ala Anchor Christmas.

2016 (#32): Another Pop! of the cap to begin this review. I would like to think that every Pop! is one-of-a-kind, but it is hard to tell. I do know that every pour and its result is different each time. An initially heavy-handed pour started a pseudo-cascade which turned into two-plus fingers of dense, rocky, light-tan head with very good retention. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. The nose, while malty, had a very noticeable earthiness, kind of like drying/dried hay. Mouthfeel was medium. I allowed it to lazily roll around on my tongue to bring out a base, earthy bitterness. I was put on mind of a wet-hopped AIPA in terms of its earthy bitterness. I keep mentioning bitterness, but it was not overpowering or off-putting. I was just kind of surprised by it, especially in the style. I found it to be eminently drinkable, developing a toasty breadiness as it warmed. I have to admit to expecting an overly spiced ale with a relatively high ABV, but I was not at all disappointed not to get it. I also got a light nuttiness with it as it warmed. The takeaway may be to let it live up to its style and let it warm before settling in for a drink. Finish was semi-dry to dry. I really liked the earthiness of the hops & malts & now I anticipate the next iteration with bated breath.

Had this on tap at Brixx Pizza,first time on tap.Poured a lighter brown almost amber color with athis head that left a thin sheet of lace,picked up a bigger than expected hop presence in the aroma some pine along with some roasted malt.Big and hoppy up front on the palate very piney and resiny with a enough of a roasted malt backbone to hold up to the hop attack making for a big,bold,well rounded brew.Very pleasntly suprised with the character of this brew,have had it before and dont remember such a hop profile.

Appearance - The body is a very dark brown but clear. The head was just gorgeous. It lept up instantly, held on for a while, pitted beautifully, and left tons of shaving cream lacing on the glass.

Smell - The sweet malt aroma is faint, yet very winteresque. There seems to be a mild hop balance as well.

Taste - The flavor is thinner than I had anticipated from the nose, but the malt sweetness is good. It's very one-dimensional though and pales in comparison to the taste that I had on-tap at the brewery. I didn't write a review for that one because I didn't take any notes, but I remember it being much fulller and substantial.

Mouthfeel - Very little carbonation to this light to medium-bodied ale. It's very light and smooth; thin in the mouth yet non-intrusive.

Drinkability - This has the ease and drinkability of a summar ale yet the yearning flavors of the strong, old style. I think it's lost in a time warp. It's too light for the acclaimed style yet too dark and malty for a summer refresher. The worse of both worlds? It's really not that bad, but I must consider it a miss on most counts.

Update - The 2004 bottle is better than the one I sampled in '03. It seems a bit bigger and the hops are definitely bigger, at least I'm picking them out that way. I still thought the Mouthfeel should be bigger for the flavors but am otherwise moving all the other ratings to 4.0.

Update - The 2005 vintage is right on par with the '05. The Mouthfeel is still lacking but overall it's a good brew.

Update - The 2009 vintage has now extended the pattern. This beer has nice flavors and actually looks pretty cool but lacks a strong body.

My wife picked this up at the store. Sounded interesting. This is my first Redhook.

The beer is a dark red brown. There is a decent finger, late' colored head. There is some lacing but nothing to write home about.

The smell makes you think that there is some alcohol there. It's malty with bread, caramel, coffee and molasses.

The taste is quite like the smell. It's like a cross between a red and a porter. I don't like that too much because the bitter porter gets in the way of the sweeter, breadier malt and it's too weak to feel too much like a porter. The finish is a nice bite of hop and bitterness from coffee and molasses.

It's a pleasant enough brew but it's a little to o thin and watery at times.

I'm surprised this beer hasn't been reviewed. Redhook East is a good brewery, and the pub serves great food. Anyway, this winter seasonal is a nice dark amber color with a fairly thick creamy head. Good lacing. It has a sweet molasses smell to it, and a fruity, cinnamon taste. Good mouthfeel, not too carbonated. A very drinkable beer.

Smell: I detect a fate toasted caramel scent accompanied with some citrus.

Taste: The taste presents the caramel and a toasted malt flavor. The hops add the bitterness and aroma, but I would say to a mild to medium extent. The fruity and spice flavors add to the mix. The alcohol is detectable, but not immediately.

Mouthfeel: Thin-to-medium and smooth body. The carbonation is right on track.

Drinkability - A tasty winter treat that (at 6.0%) will warm you up nice. Also, the alcohol is balanced well with the malt and hops making it easy to drink several before noticing its "warmth".

Notes: It may not be exceptional (a little on the thinner side for a winter beer), but definitely worthy of a six-pack in the fridge for the winter months.

No head, just a slight ring of khaki on the edge. Dark and clear amber color. Very smooth mouthfeel, with a bit of bitterness that breaks through to you. Lightly carbinated. Not too heavy at all. -Could not get any scent on this one at all (was drinking at my hangout which had become a bit smokey, when I shoved it at beerbud in frustration to see if he could catcha whiff, he said he could smell generic cola). Decent drinking brew.

T - A bit of the same. Some spice and caramel sweetness, some nice evergreen hops. Hopped a bit more heavily than I'd expect... it isn't really all that much, just a little bit more than I'd expect in balance to the malt. Finishes with a bit more spice and the hops.

M - Fairly thin, nice carbonation.

D - Pretty good. Wouldn't be hard to finish several of these.

Ok winter warmer, nothing terribly exciting. There are better ones out there, but this is worth a try.

Has a pretty medium copper color after poured into a pint glass. Little head retention, but nice lacing that hangs around. Pleasant nose is a bit complex, but dominated by malt sweetness, hops, and a hint of woodsy spices. Medium bodied in the mouth, definitely crisp with hops. I swear that there are some kind of spices trying to reach out and bite your tongue. Dry aftertaste and definitely a belly warmer. Above average for a seasonal ale.

Light brown and foamy, left alot of foamy lace. Crisp and refreshing, nice qualities for this syle beer. Very smooth and long malty center, Mild/mellow hop finish. nice balance and drinkability. Good session brew. A pleasant quaffer. Tried this one on tap. Didnt have the time to let it warm up abit in the glass.

Poured a deep amber in color. Shafts of ruby-red light can be seen when held up to the light. Excellent lacing of the glass with a tannish-colored head. Aromas are a mixture of grassy hops and some sweet malt. Flavors are hoppy up front and finishes with a caramel sweetness combined with a bit of a metallic flavor. Mouthfeel is nice. Creamy smooth and medium-bodied. Drinkability is average, with the metallic flavor costing points in this category.

Notes: Not too much in this one to make me think of this as a winter brew. It's probably the best Redhook beer I've had, but it's more of a regular amber beer than a winter brew. Not one that I'd rush out to buy each year to see how it's changed.

Bottle poured a clear amber with a medium white head. Nutty aroma with some herbs and tea. Flavor is smoother than one would expect, malty and earthy. The taste is almost like a low-alcohol barleywine. Its okay, but not really what I was expecting from a winter brew.